


in perfect disorder

by whimsicott



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 01:29:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 2,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28805100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whimsicott/pseuds/whimsicott
Summary: Ace/Riddle drabble collection.
Relationships: Riddle Rosehearts/Ace Trappola
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A collection of drabbles that were originally posted on my [twitter](https://twitter.com/ukanomiyaki).

Memorizing rules is second nature to Riddle, rules of the Queen of Hearts, rules of the schools, even the unspoken rules of manners are all etched in his brain. The rules of his mother, of course, takes precedence over them all, following him even as he rides away on the black chariot.

Ace is the epitome of all things the rules are not. Forget all hundreds of the Queen of Hearts rules, Riddle would be surprised if Ace is able to name one at all. Ace is loud and arrogant and almost got expelled on his first day at Night Raven College. Ace challenged Riddle when is the one who broke the rules.

Ace is chaos, a stray hound bouncing into Riddle’s life of order.

A stray hound that has messed up that order, challenging Riddle to be someone better.

As someone who can take disorder.

As someone who can be happy, unrestrained by all the rules that had made him what he is.

Order is still who Riddle knows himself to be. It’s not as if he could forget all the rules he had upheld during his time as dorm head. It’s not as if he could unlearn everything that had made him the way he is.

But when Ace smiles at him as they paint the roses red together, he knows that he can survive this stray hound. 

He knows he can find an unfamiliar joy in the disorder Ace creates.


	2. Chapter 2

“Going home Rosehearts?” His superior asks.

Home has always been a complex image in Riddle’s mind. For so much of his life, home meant his parents, pressuring him to fit all of their expectations. Home meant a room with no toys and a kitchen with no sweets. For a long time, home is somewhere Riddle does not want to go back to. He dragged his feet slowly down the hall of mirrors when he was at school and had to go back. 

But Riddle is grown now. He no longer lives with his parents but with a man he’s in love with. Ace makes home much more bearable. Sure, Ace does not cook too well, does not clean the house to perfection. There’s a mess on their coffee table and their bed remains unmade most of the day. Home is the imperfect space between him and Ace.

Riddle found out just a week after they moved in together he likes it that way.

Home means something entirely different now. Something that he has to get used to.

“Yes,” he says slowly, an image of Ace in his mind. “I’m going home.”


	3. Chapter 3

Ace likes waking up early in the morning to see Riddle still asleep. He likes the way the morning sunlight peeks through the window, painting Riddle’s skin in its warm glow. He likes how quietly vulnerable Riddle is as he curls into Ace’s chest. Ace even likes the mess Riddle’s hair is and the drool around the corner of his lips.

Riddle in the morning is Riddle before he puts on his suit. Before he wears the stern expression of a prominent public prosecutor.

The way Riddle presses his eyes together before waking up, still bleary from sleep keeps making Ace’s heart pound no matter how many times he’s seen it. Riddle is always beautiful to him, but this Riddle — this Riddle belongs to him alone. He cherishes the fact, letting each and every second seep into his memory.

“Good morning dorm head,” he says with a grin.

Riddle answers with a pout.

“Dorm head? What year did I wake up in?”

That’s right. Riddle hasn’t been his dorm head for years. But Ace likes to tease at times, and Riddle would usually play along.

Today, however, Ace knows Riddle wants to be called by his name.

“Riddle,” he says with a smile. 

And Riddle smiles back, placing a kiss on the bridge of Ace’s nose.

“Good morning, Ace.”

A soft and gentle greeting for Ace alone.


	4. Chapter 4

To Ace’s surprise, Riddle initiated their first kiss.

Like everything Riddle does, it was absolutely perfect. It was after one of their many unbirthday parties, with the two of them on cleaning duty. There were others around, surely, but no one was paying attention to them.

The two of them chatted and Riddle chuckled softly at a joke Ace made. Riddle looked at him fondly then, and Ace felt like he could drown in Riddle’s eyes in that very moment. Riddle’s smile widened, and he leaned in to close the gap between them.

And then, there it was. The kiss. Soft, gentle, and tasting like the strawberry tart they just ate. 

When they parted Riddle laughed quietly. He shook his head and tucked a strand of his hair behind his ears.

“Was that alright?”

He asked.

Ace wanted to answer that it was more than alright. That it was wonderful and perfect.

Instead, he stared dumb-founded, face flushed pink and fingers lingering on his own lips.


	5. Chapter 5

Ace would've never guessed that he would fall in love with Riddle Rosehearts. Riddle Rosehearts, who remembers all eight-hundred and ten rules of the Queen of Hearts and attempts to uphold it over everyone else. Riddle Rosehearts, whose face would turn completely red whenever he’s angry. Riddle Rosehearts, who wants everything to go his way.

It’s a different side of Riddle that captivates Ace. The way he makes a cake to make up for his behavior. Him wanting to be friends with others in his own awkward way. The way he smiles at the hedgehogs. The way he tutors others, even those in years above him while remaining clueless of trends and technology.

Riddle Rosehearts who Ace gets to know captured his heart.

And perhaps, he likes it that way.


	6. Chapter 6

It surprised Riddle when Ace jumped out to save him from the stray maglift disk. He could’ve handled it himself, of course, but he was stunned as Ace protected him, catching the flying disk in his hand.

It surprised Riddle that Ace would get angry on his behalf. Would tell off Leona Kingscholar of all people that they had to be more careful because they could’ve hit his dorm head.

It seemed like it was just a couple of weeks ago when Ace hated him. When Ace wanted nothing more than to take him down and change Heartslabyul.

But the Ace in front of him smiled brightly. 

“Dorm head,” he said. “Are you alright?”

He extended his hand.

And Riddle felt drawn to take it.


	7. Chapter 7

Ace doesn’t have to ask if Riddle is still angry at him. He would like to say it’s because he knows his husband well enough, but the truth is, Riddle just makes it insanely obvious when he’s displeased. Anyone should be able to tell whenever Riddle is scowling and flushed red with anger.

Besides, it’s near midnight and Riddle is still on the dining table, reviewing whatever case he can probably put off until tomorrow if he really wants to. Distracting himself with work is another obvious bad habit of Riddle’s.

“Riddle,” Ace calls to his husband softly. “Come on, it’s late.”

“I have work,” Riddle says coldly. 

Ace sighs, approaching the table. Just as Riddle’s hand moves to grab the teapot, Ace takes it from him, pouring out a cup for Riddle.

“You’re still mad at me.”

“I am not mad at you,” Riddle huffs without looking up at Ace.

Ace smiles wryly. He places his arms around Riddle and presses a kiss on the back of Riddle’s head.

“Look, I’m sorry,” he says earnestly.

Their argument was a silly one, anyway. Riddle brought home a pair of 15 cm heels and Ace told him he’s somewhat overcompensating. Much to Riddle’s dismay, he’s never grown past his 160 cm and he makes that up by collecting heels. Still, Ace felt 15 cm is a little bit much. 

But now that he has time to think, Riddle can wear whatever he wants and still be beautiful in Ace’s eyes.

“Really?” Riddle says sulkily. But finally, his eyes are shifting towards Ace.

“Really,” Ace assures. “You will look good in those heels.”

Riddle exhales sharply.

“Alright, maybe it is time I go to bed.”

“Good,” Ace says. He then moves to lift Riddle in his arms bridal-style. At Riddle’s yelp, he grins. “I’m going to make sure you make good on that.”

“You don’t have to do this much,” Riddle sighs. But nonetheless, he rests his head against Ace’s chest.

He closes his eyes, entrusting himself entirely to Ace.

Looks like they’re not fighting anymore, Ace thinks.

With a wide smile, he carries Riddle to bed.


	8. Chapter 8

Riddle isn’t happy when a girl he does not know approaches him and Ace while they’re out on a date. He’s even less pleased when he finds out that she’s Ace’s ex-girlfriend, out on a date with her own boyfriend.

“But it’s funny, Ace,” she says animatedly. “You used to look so bored when we went to the amusement park together, I never thought you’d be going to the zoo.”

“Well,” Ace laughs awkwardly. He glances at Riddle, reading that Riddle is obviously not pleased with this situation. “Anywhere is good as long as you’re with who you want to be with right?”

“How mature of you,” the girl chides. “I remember you just ghosting me because you got bored with the dates we went on.”

“Hey, don’t say that,” Ace’s face is flushed red from embarrassment. 

“So this is...?”

Riddle holds Ace’s hand tighter, feeling Ace wince under him. Riddle may not be very big, but he knows he’s much stronger than he looks.

“That’s right,” Riddle says assertively, unable to hide the annoyance in his voice. He’s frowning as he speaks to this girl. “I’m his boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend, huh?” The girl says, but she seems to catch the cue. She steps back. “I won’t bother you anymore then. See you around, Ace.”

She waves to Ace before returning to her own boyfriend, walking side by side by a man who seems to be the same height as her.

Ace looks at Riddle with an awkward smile on his face.

“Come on, don’t be mad, dorm head,” Ace says. “I’m here with you, right?”

Riddle huffs. He takes his hands away from Ace and crosses his arms. 

“Do you not like it?” He says, the words spilling out of him before he could stop himself from saying something he regrets. He knows he sounds like he’s sulking, like he’s being childish. 

“Not like what?”

“Going to the zoo with me. That girl said you got bored easily when you went out on a date with her.”

Ace scratches the back of his head.

“It’s different.”

“How is it different?” Riddle demands petulantly.

Ace pries Riddle’s hand away from the fold. He holds on to Riddle’s hand tightly.

“Because I want to be with you because you’re you,” Ace says. 

So he can be smooth at times like these.

“If you’re bored we can go somewhere else,” Riddle says, still sulking.

“And miss how starry-eyed you get over flamingoes?” Ace says, he smiles kindly and softly at Riddle. “No way.”


	9. Chapter 9

Riddle is powerful in ways Ace could only imagine prior to coming to Night Raven College. Even beyond his unique magic, Riddle knows a plethora of spells, and more importantly, he knows how to use them to his advantage. He’s always happy to help the first years when they work hard, and Ace has taken advantage of this by asking Riddle to spar with him.

Currently, their score is on 25-0 in favor of Riddle, even with Riddle promising not to use his unique magic. 

But Ace always gets up.

“Next time,” Ace says solemnly. “I’ll win next time.”

Riddle grins. 

“I’m looking forward to it,” he says, his voice sounding almost too sweet in Ace’s ears.

 _And when I win_ , Ace promises to himself, _I’m finally going to ask him to go out with me_.

For now, he watches Riddle’s back leaving him, still too far away for his hands to reach.


	10. Chapter 10

Sleeping in Riddle’s room means falling asleep to the sound of an educational podcast. Riddle makes it a habit to listen to them every night in bed while he goes through documents for their dorm with a blue pen scratching on the paper, occasionally humming to himself whenever he finds something interesting. 

Ace can never tell if he finds the podcast interesting or the documents, but he’s not really registering either anyway. His focus is on Riddle, with the tip of his pen pressed against his lips. Riddle, concentrating with furrowed eyebrows. 

Riddle, as pretty and delicate as ever is by Ace’s side and Ace can only count himself as lucky for that.

“Ace,” Riddle says, looking apologetic to his boyfriend. “Am I keeping you up?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ace says.

He’s enjoying the sight, after all.


	11. Chapter 11

Despite what others may think, Ace is not good at romance. If his (short) list of ex-girlfriends is not an indication of how bad he is at it, the way they and all their friends hate him afterward surely is. If he’s absolutely honest, he doesn’t understand what love truly feels like.

But when he sees Riddle, smiling brightly, he wonders if this is what it’s supposed to feel like. His heart, beating faster. His body, shivering slightly from the view. He wonders if this is what people call a crush, or perhaps if he could even call it love.

“Ace?” Riddle calls out to him, head tilted to the side. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, dorm head,” he replies quickly. Far too quickly.

Ace shakes his head, walking over to where Riddle is.

Ace does not know what this is, but he wants to find out by Riddle’s side.


	12. Chapter 12

Kissing Riddle is like the tea party he reigns over, stiff and constrained yet absolutely sweet, tasting like cake and tea and sugar. Riddle always kisses Ace back despite how stiff his body is. Riddle, wrapping his arms around Ace’s neck awkwardly as Ace pushes him against a wall. Their bodies don’t quite fit perfectly into each others’, but Ace finds that things don’t have to be perfect.

And despite Riddle’s predilection for perfection, he never seems to complain about the messy way Ace kisses him, lips then ears then neck then lips again. He never seems to mind the way Ace’s knee pushes in between his legs as he clumsily attempts to balance their bodies together.

“Is this okay?” Ace asks eventually, voice barely louder than a whisper, eyes not leaving Riddle’s face.

Riddle laughs softly.

“This is perfect.”

In its own way. In their own way.


End file.
